When his elder brother Arthur died in 1502, Henry inherited his place in the Tudor succession, his wardrobe, and his wife, the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon. And after he became king in April 1509, it became clear that Henry also inherited his father's love of magnificence, the rituals of kingship, the excitement of hunting and gambling, and the construction of grand palaces. After those early glory days of feasting and frolic, however, the continuing lack of a male Tudor heir runs like a thin line of poison through Henry's reign. Robert Hutchinson provides fresh insights into what drove this ambitious monarch, and how this happy, playful Renaissance prince was transformed into the tyrant of his later years.

"This is an enjoyable, unfussy history.... [The author] shows us the monster in the making and teaches us to feel a modicum of pity for his plight."—Daily Mail (London)